Janine

Janine is finishing up her job in Lynden, WA. She is a bus attendent and teacher's aide for a headstart program for migrant workers. She will return home late Saturday, August 15th and fly back to Covenant early August 20th.

Thankfully, Janine was able to stay with Jeanette and Duane for this job and got to spend time with her cousins Teresa, Steven, and Rebekah.

Nathan

Nathan has 1 more week before he starts COS, a community college, on August 17. He is finishing up some projects. He built some shelves to increase the storage space in his bedroom closet.

School Started!

We officially started the school year August 3. It was a typical Monday: laundry and getting the house back together. It was also an atypical Monday: Renee's 14th birthday, first day of school, me frantically trying to finish the paperwork I needed to do before the start of school, and sweet potato and peach casserole (the requested birthday dinner) instead of potatoes for dinner.

We each have our box of books. This year Lorissa and Renee are doing Bible, Classical Astronomy, Physical Geography, and Spanish together. They have a Speech class with Petey and Jerimiah Tiemersma.

Lorissa, Margaret, and Renee

Lorissa is a junior and Renee, a freshman. I remain the primary teacher, Keith, the principal, was at his paying job at Cigna on opening day of Trinity Christian School (TCS), our homeschool.

TCS has only half the students it had compared to the years of peak enrollment from 01/02 to 06/07. It also has no enrollment in the elementary classes for the first time since 96/97 when Nathan was in kindergarten and Janine in 2nd grade. Janine was in TCS for kindergarten in 94/95, the first year of TCS. She went to Central Valley Christian for her 1st grade year.

Janine Quoted

Janine was quoted in the Covenant College Spring 2009 BUILD Newsletter about the improvements and remodeling of the campus library. See "milestones" on page 2 of the newsletter.

Koetsier Ranch

Nathan and I work very part time at Koetsier Ranch, setting up for the events taking place at the ranch, as well as off-site catering events. Janine has worked there in the past also. Koetsier Ranch was featured in the Valley Voice this past week. More pictures of Koetsier Ranch can be viewed at their website.

Agriculture in Central California

I love to see all the farming that goes on around us in Tulare County, California. We are already past the green season, anything not watered is getting brown and dry. If you walk through any weeds your socks get full of stickers, especially from the fox tails. Fruit is growing on the trees and vines, alfalfa has had 1 to 2 cuttings. Alfalfa is one of my favorite field crops because it is green, smells good, and is not tall and obstructive to the view like corn.
Today my brothers' field behind our house got the winter wheat chopped. Experienced silage choppers can get the wheat straw hauled in with well orchestrated maneuverings of their trucks and tractors. There were 3 mowers, 1 rake, 2 choppers, 10 silage trucks, 2 mechanics/gas pickups, 1 water truck to keep the dust down, and 1 tractor starting to plow. (I'm not even sure if these are the correct names for all of the equipment!)
Ree, of thepioneerwoman.com , always shows pictures of what is happening on her ranch in Oklahoma. I think it is very interesting to learn about different areas and people via blogs, so here are some scenes from California.

Monday, Monday II

Since it is Monday again it is time to do laundry.
See, I am doing quite well, I have some loads lined up to go into the dryer. And being the good wife that I am I also made sure to wash Keith's wallet with all of its contents. Why was he at work and the wallet at home in his jeans pocket? Hopefully he doesn't need to buy gas or anything else today! Hopefully ATM and credit cards still work after a run through the washer!